Monday, 8 July 2013
TOURISM CONTINUES TO BE STRONGEST LINK BETWEEN MACEDONIA AND THE NETHERLANDS
Tourism and agriculture were the main topics of discussion at the meeting of the Parliamentary Group of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia for Cooperation with the Parliament of the Kingdom of the Netherlands with the Delegation of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Dutch House of Representatives.
Tourism was pointed out as the strongest link between the two countries. Good advertizing, the high-quality travel agencies and tour operators were mentioned as the key factors for its further development.
The Netherlands is known for its well organized agriculture, and having in mind the fact that Macedonia pays special attention to agriculture, it would be very useful to use the experiences of the Netherlands in this field in order to utilize better its potentials and favorable climate. The two sides agreed to intensify the cooperation and exchange of experiences in the field of agriculture, as well as regarding exchange of students, especially because of the fact that the Netherlands has one of the best universities of applied sciences in Europe.
Expressing appreciation for the hospitality, the guests pointed out the large number of people coming from the Netherlands on holiday in Macedonia. They said that they are following closely the developments in our country and that they are aware of the problems we are facing on our path towards membership in the European Union, adding that they fully support our country in its aspirations for Euro-Atlantic integration.
Both sides agreed that additional efforts are needed in order to intensify the cooperation in the field of tourism and agriculture, as well as to strengthen further the parliamentary cooperation. The Macedonian parliamentarians emphasized the importance of the exchange of experiences in various areas with experts from the Netherlands, as one of the oldest European Union member states, and asked for their continued support.